Where do I find clothes for a plus-size 10 yr old girl?
April 20, 2014 8:07 PM Subscribe
Help us find clothes for a 10 year old plus-size girl!
My 10 year old stepdaughter no longer fits into plus size girls clothing (she's currently wearing a size 18 plus in girls, but really, the clothes don't fit her well). She's 4'11 and 140 pounds. What size would she be equivalent to in women's or juniors clothing? Do juniors clothes even come in a petite?
She likes leggings with patterns a lot, as well as bright colors and kid-like clothes. She seems to have a healthy body image (hooray!), and we'd like to keep it that way. How can we help her dress like a kid in clothes that fit her?
My 10 year old stepdaughter no longer fits into plus size girls clothing (she's currently wearing a size 18 plus in girls, but really, the clothes don't fit her well). She's 4'11 and 140 pounds. What size would she be equivalent to in women's or juniors clothing? Do juniors clothes even come in a petite?
She likes leggings with patterns a lot, as well as bright colors and kid-like clothes. She seems to have a healthy body image (hooray!), and we'd like to keep it that way. How can we help her dress like a kid in clothes that fit her?
Best answer: My daughter was similar, if slightly slimmer--about 5' and 110 pounds at ten, and in an 18+ or women's clothing.
First, try other children's departments. Justice and Kohl's both have girls' departments that go up to a size 20 plus, and both frequently have sales and/or coupons out.
My advice is to skip the junior's department entirely. We found that while a lot of the clothing *fit* my daughter, it was stylistically much too old for her--she was uncomfortable with the clingy fabrics, power necklines, etc, that seem to be part and parcel of that department.
The size in misses will vary by brand, etc, but for whatever it's worth, my daughter went directly into a medium shirt and a size four or six jean. You'll want misses petite, as that's designed for people between, I think, 5' and 5'4". You'll have to watch the necklines of things--some stuff that would be just fine on someone with more breast is quite low on someone without it. The good news is that leggings are pretty forgiving, size-wise, and 90s retro fashion is currently a thing, so there are lots of bright colors and patterns out right now. You can also keep an eye on Threadless and similar for cute shirts--my daughter has several from there that she loves.
It's not that bad, really--I know several other kids who're in similar boats. The only big downside is that shopping in the misses department is a lot more expensive. We ended up going to several stores (and my mother's cast offs) and buying a single piece or two, then going to the thrift store with the knowledge of what sizes she needed, roughly.
posted by MeghanC at 11:28 PM on April 20, 2014 [3 favorites]
First, try other children's departments. Justice and Kohl's both have girls' departments that go up to a size 20 plus, and both frequently have sales and/or coupons out.
My advice is to skip the junior's department entirely. We found that while a lot of the clothing *fit* my daughter, it was stylistically much too old for her--she was uncomfortable with the clingy fabrics, power necklines, etc, that seem to be part and parcel of that department.
The size in misses will vary by brand, etc, but for whatever it's worth, my daughter went directly into a medium shirt and a size four or six jean. You'll want misses petite, as that's designed for people between, I think, 5' and 5'4". You'll have to watch the necklines of things--some stuff that would be just fine on someone with more breast is quite low on someone without it. The good news is that leggings are pretty forgiving, size-wise, and 90s retro fashion is currently a thing, so there are lots of bright colors and patterns out right now. You can also keep an eye on Threadless and similar for cute shirts--my daughter has several from there that she loves.
It's not that bad, really--I know several other kids who're in similar boats. The only big downside is that shopping in the misses department is a lot more expensive. We ended up going to several stores (and my mother's cast offs) and buying a single piece or two, then going to the thrift store with the knowledge of what sizes she needed, roughly.
posted by MeghanC at 11:28 PM on April 20, 2014 [3 favorites]
Kohls has some neat on-line things that would be perfect for your daughter.
Ditto Old Navy.
Pennys has things as well.
Here are Justice's half-sizes (THAT brings back memories!)
Other stores have as well, but I think this is the type of thing you're looking for in the summertime.
The suck part about it is that it's all on-line. The great part is that you'll spare your daughter the hassle of schlepping from store to store, looking for the unicorn that is something she actually likes, is in her size and that doesn't make you go running from the room.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 5:21 AM on April 21, 2014 [1 favorite]
Ditto Old Navy.
Pennys has things as well.
Here are Justice's half-sizes (THAT brings back memories!)
Other stores have as well, but I think this is the type of thing you're looking for in the summertime.
The suck part about it is that it's all on-line. The great part is that you'll spare your daughter the hassle of schlepping from store to store, looking for the unicorn that is something she actually likes, is in her size and that doesn't make you go running from the room.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 5:21 AM on April 21, 2014 [1 favorite]
JC Penney's has junior short sizes for their Arizona jeans line, which offers a good range of basic styles at affordable prices. When my daughter was 5' and about 125 or a bit over she wore a size 5 to 7 in juniors so I'm thinking your daughter would probably be more like a 9 or 11? Aeropostale juniors (not Aeropostale P.S.) also has short jeans lengths in juniors sizes. At least around here, both places do stock the short lengths in store. I'm not aware of anyplace that has petite juniors sizes for tops but that may not be as much as an issue. Aeropostale crew-neck logo t-shirts tend to have a fairly modest neckline and straight cut.
posted by drlith at 6:41 AM on April 21, 2014
posted by drlith at 6:41 AM on April 21, 2014
Best answer: I'm 4ft 11 and when I'm 140lbs I'm in a women's size 10 petite (US sizes).
posted by essexjan at 6:44 AM on April 21, 2014
posted by essexjan at 6:44 AM on April 21, 2014
Best answer: As I was continuing to to think about this (there is no one in my family who doesn't suffer from some form of "fucking jeans, how do they fit?" syndrome), I remembered that my 5' daughter had a much easier time finding jeans that fit when she switched from flares/bootcuts (so so so many years of dragging hems!) to skinny jeans. So I thought I'd pop back in to comment that (a) skinny jeans aren't just for skinny kids--as with leggings, the built-in elasticity helps accommodate a greater variety of body types that regular denim; and (b) like leggings, skinny jeans are more forgiving to petites.
posted by drlith at 4:22 PM on April 21, 2014
posted by drlith at 4:22 PM on April 21, 2014
I'm 5' feet ish and close to 150 lbs, which puts me at a size 12 P womens.
My style right now is longer loose tops with skinny jeans. I personally hate my butt (and adult hips, so you should probably adjust size for that some) The longer tops cover my tush, and the skinny jeans look cute! I wear a large shirts, but occasionally can fit into a medium depending on department.
You may want to continue to look for tops in XL in childrens and pants in womens or juniors. That way, you can get the best of both worlds: colors, kid cut shirts and jeans that fit.
posted by AlexiaSky at 8:09 PM on April 22, 2014
My style right now is longer loose tops with skinny jeans. I personally hate my butt (and adult hips, so you should probably adjust size for that some) The longer tops cover my tush, and the skinny jeans look cute! I wear a large shirts, but occasionally can fit into a medium depending on department.
You may want to continue to look for tops in XL in childrens and pants in womens or juniors. That way, you can get the best of both worlds: colors, kid cut shirts and jeans that fit.
posted by AlexiaSky at 8:09 PM on April 22, 2014
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